I understand. The original hose did not have a traditional duct like you see in the earlier photo. Rather, it was a spiral wire wrapped with a mesh material, than covered with the foam. Frankly, if mine wasn’t a concours show car, I’d likely have a similar hose as the one in the posted image.
Here are images of what the original material looks like. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
That original 328 foam material looks like it could be from the same product family/manufacturer as the TR rear bonnet under-chiclet foam material (and with about the same result ).
The construction of that air cleaner hose to meet US dB requirements pretty much validates RifleD's comment that on ancillary equipment, Ferrari often went with the least expensive option available to get the road cars out of the door...which also agrees with all of the interviews concerning Enzo Ferrari's views of the road cars - a side effort to finance the race program.
Here's the old link if you want to attempt it yourself... https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/1989-air-intakes-solved.315317/
Sorry buddy, that was for the hose for the US spec foam versions. The Australian cars had solid hoses like mine, not like the damaged mesh style above just without the foam. Australian cars never came with the foam so had a completely different hose material even through they look similar.
Absolutely. Apologies if I was t clear. Your hose is perfect and correct for your car. The whole discussion about the foam wrapped hose is a US matter.
My guess is that "some" of the european cars were delivered new with the same flexible ribbed hose as your car, Mark, although I can't rule out that some might also have received the foam-covered one : european countries had different regulations about noise at the time. Considering the link you posted above about "how to replace your original hose", seems like the U.K cars at least got the same foam-covered one than the US cars. Those on my two cars are probably not original anymore, somehow I have always considered that they aren't, and are some kind of substitute from any water-heater or what else, but I might be wrong on that and will take a look as soon as daylight allows me to see in the garage (5:13 in the morning here and cloudy) Rgds
It's a weird one. Let me know what yours are. The foam seems to be just be fitted on the 1989 cars in some markets. Smaller markets like Australia, had so few 328 GTS's delivered in 1989 that a general rule about the fitting of standard features is hard to confirm.
The hose that RifleD recommended in one of his posts recently, Gates 23864, works really well and looks like it "could" be OEM if you didn't actually KNOW that the US (and maybe some other) '89's had the foam-covered hose. The Gates hose looks just like the pic in post #20. I ordered/bought mine from Rock Auto, a 6 ft length which was the shortest piece available, for $42.24 incl shipping and tax. You can either glue the hose to the OEM plastic 'end caps' and attach it per OEM or simply clamp the hose directly to the airbox and intake flange. A black hose clamp on the airbox, IMO, looks better than the plastic end cap which is, to my eye, too large in diameter to look right on the non-foamed hose.
Well...answer is: duct tape. Both cars have the original flexible ribbed hosed (you can see its corrugations by looking into the side intake flute) but wrapped in duct tape...major sin against originality here. Rgds Image Unavailable, Please Login
It'a a funny one... as certainly there are some cars where over the years the foam deteriorated and needed to be replaced with another more practical option but I can't imagine that so many cars needed that replacement (with other original parts still being on the car that are just as fragile) or say 10 years on into the cars life the exact same foam hose wasn't at the time available new as a replacement from Ferrari spare parts.
I don't have the corresponding service bills, Mark, so I don't have the FACTS, and can only speculate, but my two cars led a different life in different countries before I brought them under the same roof, but these have the same "hose wrapped in duct tape" (although different duct tape...) I can only suppose that the original part deteriorated at about the same rate of speed on both, and that a replacement part was not available at the time. Rgds
